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Goar: A civil, revealing mayoral debate

Two questions drew me to this week’s mayoral debate on disability issues.

Is front-runner Rob Ford capable of talking about anything but slashing spending and scrapping city councillors’ perks? His austerity crusade has no appeal to people who are already shut out of many aspects of city life.

And can his strongest challenger, George Smitherman, find the vision and passion that has been missing from his campaign for the past eight months?

This audience needed convincing that the once-powerful provincial cabinet minister was ready to work with all Torontonians, not just bash his opponents or cater to aggrieved taxpayers.

Ford confirmed his reputation as a one-issue candidate. He made a half-hearted attempt to persuade people with disabilities they could benefit from his cost-cutting crusade, but he never deviated from his theme. Nor did he show any interest in making the city more accessible or inclusive.

Smitherman, who had been flailing ineffectually for months, finally looked like a candidate who knew what he stood for. He spoke knowledgeably about the realities of living with physical and mental disabilities and made modest, but deliverable, policy commitments.

The 2 1/2-hour debate took place in a crowded church hall. The sound system was faulty and the podium was too low for most people to see. But those who came — many in wheelchairs, some who stood for the entire debate — stuck it out till the end, seldom jeering or interrupting.

The candidates kept their personal attacks to a minimum and tried (some harder than others) to answer the questions they were asked.

Joe Pantalone was the biggest disappointment. In his 29 years on city council, the deputy mayor has spoken out for the poor, homeless, seniors and people with disabilities. But he seemed content to rest on his laurels and blamed Ottawa and Queen’s Park for the city’s shortcomings.

Rocco Rossi tried almost too hard. He named every relative he had with a disability or chronic disease and invoked the “light of the divine.” He promised to act as an advocate for people with disabilities and gradually make Toronto’s subways more accessible.

But his words about respecting everyone’s human dignity were at odds with his platform, which features business solutions to the city’s chronic financial problems.

Sarah Thomson sounded earnest but out of her depth.

“We need to make this a priority,” she declared, adding that her first task as mayor would be to reduce the city’s debt in order to free up resources for diversity programs and accessibility initiatives. “The whole issue comes down to money.”

The low point in the debate came when Ford seemed to suggest he would cancel the 21,000 Metropasses given to city councillors and municipal officials and use the savings to allow seniors and people with disabilities to ride for free.

But he quickly backtracked, telling the audience he wasn’t promising to do it; he was merely saying they had more right to be at the front of the line than well-paid politicians and bureaucrats.

There was no clear high point. The entire event offered a glimpse of the mayoral contest Toronto might have had if voters were less obsessed with punishing Mayor David Miller and repudiating his legacy.

It’s unlikely that one debate in the final lap of the mayoral race will change the outcome of the Oct. 25 election.

But it did provide proof that Toronto is more than the angry city we’ve seen in long, arid campaign.

Carol Goar's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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